The present invention is directed to devices used in distribution of signals over coaxial cable, for example, in the cable television industry. The invention is more particularly concerned with an in-line cable splitter, or multitap, used by a cable service company to connect a number of customer drop cables with a main video trunk cable or network cable. These devices are frequently used outdoors and installed in a pedestal that allows access to an underground trunk cable and also allows access to underground customer drop cables that proceed from the pedestal to the customers' homes or businesses.
Pedestals are small vertical structures, typically of steel construction, which rise from a platform on the ground and house the splitter or multitap. A cover can be removed or opened for access to the multitap and to the cables, and can be replaced and locked to limit access. These pedestals usually have very limited space or volume, providing very little room for the customer cables to connect to the multitap. That is, in a current outdoor in-line multi-tap, the connector ports for the customer cables protrude straight out (horizontally) from the face plate of the multi-tap. The male connector at the end of the customer drop cable is stiff and does not bend sharply, so the limited space inside the pedestal enclosure can lead to over-stressing the cables once the pedestal is closed up. The current way this is addressed is by using a jumper cable, of lower quality than the drop cable, to connect between the customer cable connector and the multitap customer port or tap. This can introduce an unacceptable signal loss.